


Stay Together

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [28]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Angst, Crying, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Hurt/Comfort, Keith can't talk through his feelings but what's new, Regris' planet is really close to nature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 22:31:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14942585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: Keith and Regris begin comparing life on Earth and on Regris' home planet. It turns into a ride down a sad memory lane and a reassurance that packs stay together forever.





	Stay Together

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:
> 
> "How about for your next chapter you have Keith and Regris have bro bonding time with Keith explaining customs of Earth and regris with customs the galra used to have. Maybe some fluff because Regris gets sad about how the empire has destroyed these customs and Keith supports him"

Keith’s days had slowly become a routine that he was comfortable with. He didn’t feel as wound-up with tension when he play fought with Regris in the afternoons. Plus, it tired him out and made it easier for him to fall asleep, which he had had problems with before joining his pack. 

Some days, however, it was better for him to relax with Regris. Regris never minded if Keith wasn’t up to play fighting, and would often force Keith to stop if he knew Keith was only pretending to be having fun to make him happy. Regris insisted that off days were no big deal, and he was perfectly okay with cuddling instead. Whenever Keith tried to protest, Regris would point out the fact that Keith always let up if Regris was having an off day, so why would his treatment be any different if Keith were having an off day?

Today was an off day for Keith, and it had been since he had woken up. He hadn’t been on top of his game during training and he had slept for a long time after lunch. Just a single look at his younger brother told Regris that that day was not going to be a play fighting day.

Regris laid down next to Keith, smiling when the younger kit curled up against his side, purring quietly. They laid in silence for several minutes, just enjoying the tranquility of the nest.

“What’s life on Earth like?” Regris asked curiously. Keith shrugged and stayed silent, thinking about his answer.

“Well, that really depends of who you ask.” Keith responded, nestling closer to get warm. Regris’ head tilted in confusion.

“Why is that?” He questioned.

“Well, there are so many different cultures and areas to live, so life is really different for them than it is for me.” Keith explained. Regris nodded and sat in thought.

“What’s life on Earth like for you?” Regris asked instead, smiling at his clever question. Keith smiled and sighed.

“Boring, really. I mean, I lived alone for a year in a shack that was one room, miles away from the nearest town, in the middle of the desert, with no running water, hardly any money, and in temperatures that would reach over a hundred degrees.” Keith said. Regris looked horrified and curled protectively around Keith.

“That is awful!” He said, whimpering at the thought of Keith living alone in those conditions. Keith wrapped his arms around him loosely.

“Hey, I’m okay now, I have you and Antok and Kolivan and Thace and Ulaz to look over me!” Keith said reassuringly, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s life like for you on your home planet?” He asked curiously. Regris smiled sady.

“It was nice. Our pack was my parents, their friends, and two other kits that were around my age. We lived in a small but close town by the beach, so I got to swim everyday.” Regris said. “It was great. We celebrated holidays every few months that were important to my planet, and we trained to use our talents to fight from young ages. All Galran children are, really. We’re basically born and bred to become soldiers. But we had a lot of fun play fighting and cuddling in our nest.” Regris said. “Sometimes, one of the older pack members would take us to work with them when we didn’t have training and they didn’t want us to be alone.” He added, smiling at the fond memories. 

“What type of holidays do you celebrate on your planet?” Keith asked, tilting his head.

“Well, there is a holiday at the beginning of the decapheobe that is a quintant long, intended for giving gifts to pack members and friends, to have feasts and come together. It was a special time of year on my planet because the celebration would always be held on the day the flowers that grew on the planet bloomed in the brightest colors. There is another celebration held in the summer that celebrate the wildlife and plants. Everyone celebrated it differently depending on where they lived on my planet. There is a week long festival filled with music, food, and fireworks, and we plant some plants that are native to the area and are being pushed out, and removing invasive species. My planet always loved and protected the wildlife. If we noticed a species of animal starting to go extinct, we would start a reintroduction program during that time.” Regris said, smiling widely as he remembered his planet. “Do you have any special holidays on Earth?”

“Yeah, we have a few. Some people celebrate Christmas, which is an end of the year holiday intended for giving gifts but has roots in religion. A lot of other religions have winter holidays, but I don’t know a lot about them so I don’t want to give you wrong information. We have holidays that celebrates our mothers and fathers, and we have a holiday called Easter where kids go hunting for colorful eggs that the parents hide that have candy or prizes inside. That also has religious roots.” Keith said, shrugging. “During Christmas, most people put up a tree in some part of their home and decorate it with ornaments or lights. We put the presents under the tree and on Christmas morning, we open the presents. Kids have this guy called Santa, which is a man who delivers presents to the good children all over the world and coal for the bad children. He comes down the chimney and you’re supposed to leave you milk and cookies for him.” Keith explained, smiling. Regris looked horrified.

“Children enjoy the idea of a strange man breaking into their home and leaving presents?” He asked, sounding absolutely terrified. Keith giggled a bit and nodded.

“Yeah! Children can’t wait for Santa to come visit them on Christmas eve. He apparently monitors you all times of the year to make sure you’re being good. There’s this Christmas song about him that goes ‘he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!’” Keith said, singing the last part. Regris looked even more terrified.

“That’s just a stalker! He should be arrested!” Regris said. Keith started laughing.

“Well, he isn’t… real. He’s a person parents made up to get children excited about Christmas. But yeah, it is kind of creepy now that I think about it.” Keith said.

“Does your planet have anything like that?” Keith asked curiously, looking over. He was shocked when tears filled Regris’ eyes, spilling over.

“Hey, what’s wrong Reg? You don’t have to tell me, but just know I’m here if you want to talk.” Keith said, pulling Regris close and rubbing his back. Regris clung to him and took a deep breath.

“My planet was destroyed.” Regris whispered miserably. Keith nodded a bit and groomed him gently. It was mediocre grooming that was slightly sloppy and unpracticed, but it was the thought that counted.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” He asked softly, not wanting to upset Regris more. Regris let out a sob and covered his face, leaning against Keith. 

“Hardly anyone on my planet supported Zarkon and the Galra empire. As a result, Zarkon brought ships to blast my planet to bits. Almost everyone perished, a planet of nearly two billion people just… destroyed, in a manner of seconds, just because someone doesn’t like that they don’t bend to their every will. I was on another planet for my training when it happened. All of my friends and family, just dead. I found out about the blade of Marmora, and, with nowhere else to go, I went out and completed the trials. Kolivan was not happy when he found out they had put a kit through the trials, however.” Regris said, sobbing into Keith’s shoulder. Keith held him close and nuzzled him.

“Kolivan didn’t seem mad about putting me through the trials and I’m a toddler according to Galra.” Keith said, tilting his head in confusion. Regris shrugged a bit.

“He didn’t know you were such a young kit. You fought just as hard as any adult Galra, which impressed him. If its worth anything, you made it a lot further than the majority make it.” Regris said, his voice choked and whining. 

“When did Kolivan find out I was a kit?” Keith asked curiously. Regris shrugged again.

“Probably when you went to the medical bay the first time you got sick. Or, more accurately, when Antok dragged you to the medical bay because you passed out from a fever during training.” Regris said. Keith had the grace to look sheepish, hiding his face.

“You must be pretty excited to go back to Earth.” Regris said, brightening up. Keith looked away for a moment, sighing.

“Would it be bad to say that I’m not looking forward to it?” Keith asked. He felt slightly guilty over the fact that Regris had lost his entire planet and he didn’t even want to go back to his own planet. Regris tilted his head in confusion.

“But why not?” Regris asked, genuinely confused as to why Keith wouldn’t be excited to go home. Keith shrugged and avoided eye contact.

“I mean, I just told you. I live in a broken down shack in the middle of the desert. I have to buy water and food and sometimes I run out of money so I have to go without one or both. I have no family on Earth and no one that misses me there. The paladins all deserve to have time with their family and I don’t want to butt in because I need some place to stay,” Keith said, his eyes stinging with the threat of tears when the full reality of what might happen to him after the war. “I’ll have to watch everyone reunite with their families and introduce myself to them knowing that I’ll return to the shack and have nobody because nobody needs me to appear looking for a place to stay after so long without seeing their families.” Keith said, tears starting to slip down his cheeks. Regris frowned, eyes filling with tears anew at the idea of his younger brother feeling so low about what he deserves.

“Keith-” Regris began, only to be cut off.

“A-and everyone here probably doesn’t want to have me around either. I’ll just be alone! No one has ever wanted me around and they let go of me the first chance they get! Every foster home did, the paladins did.” Keith whimpered, starting to sob. Regris felt himself start to cry at the reality that Keith truly didn’t believe anyone would want him around. 

“Keith, I promise-” Regris tried to begin again, only to be cut off by Keith yet again.

“Please don’t leave me!” Keith sobbed, clinging tightly to Regris. Regris frowned, feeling sobs work their way up his throat. He knew that he couldn’t wait until his pack returned from their daily duties, Keith’s insecurities needed to be addressed as soon as possible and soothed. He scooped Keith up and let him cling on. Regris knew that he couldn’t go to Kolivan, for the leader was in a very important meeting and couldn’t be interrupted. He walked quickly towards Thace’s office, the closest place where any of their pack members would be.

-

When Thace saw Regris at his door, he was delighted that his kit was visiting him. However, when the door opened, his delight turned to worry when he saw Regris carrying a sobbing Keith, he himself looking to be seconds away from breaking down crying himself. Thace got up and hurried over to the pair, taking Keith out of Regris’ arms and holding them both close.

“Oh, my kits, what is the matter? Why are you so upset?” Thace asked worried. Regris started to sob, clinging to Thace desperately. Knowing he most likely wasn’t going to get a good answer out of two sobbing brothers, Thace picked the two up, carrying them back to the nest. He shot death glares at anyone who gave them odd looks as they passed. He set the pair down in the nest and pulled out his datapad, sending a message to Antok, Kolivan, and Ulaz that simply said ‘Nest. Now. Emergency.’

Ulaz was the first to arrive, since the medical bay was the closest to the nest besides Thace’s office. Kolivan and Antok arrived not long after, the three sitting down next to the two crying kits.

“What happened?” Antok asked worriedly, lifting Regris onto his lap and rocking him side to side to soothe him. Regris took a deep breath and tried to speak, but he felt Antok’s tail wrapping around him.

“Do not force yourself to speak before you are ready, kit.” Antok said, rubbing his back. Regris nodded and went back to sobbing into Antok’s chest. Keith whimpered and clung onto whoever was willing to hold onto him, which was currently Kolivan.

“Please don’t leave me.” Keith whimpered, hiding his face. The four Galra glanced at each other in horror at Keith’s words, for never had they once thought of abandoning Keith.

“We would never leave you willingly unless you wanted us to, kit. What in the universe made you think we would?” Ulaz asked, leaning closer to Keith. Keith whimpered and started crying harder, worrying his pack to no end. 

“W-we were talking about life on our planets and I said he must be excited to get back to Earth, and he started crying and talking about how he was alone and he didn’t deserve anything nice and that we were going to abandon him like everyone else.” Regris explained, going back to crying into Antok’s chest. Antok knew that if Regris had said anything about his planet, he must have gotten upset because he missed his home and friends and family that he would never see again. He found himself torn between reassuring Regris or Keith. On one hand, He could take Regris to another room to help him calm down, but then he might think that no one else cared about the fact that he had basically lost everything in a few days. On the other hand, he could reassure Keith with everyone else, but then Regris might think his emotions and problems got pushed to the backburner to focus on Keith, which he never wanted Regris to feel like. 

He glanced helplessly at the rest of the pack, holding tightly to Regris as he thought of a compromise.

“Regris, I know you miss your family, just let the tears out, its okay.” Antok murmured soothingly, wrapping his tail around him.

“Keith, we will never abandon you. You deserve so much love and appreciation just for being you. You are so compassionate no matter who you’re talking to.” Kolivan said softly.

“Keith, if you don’t want to go to Earth after the war is over, you don’t have to. You can come with us, I promise.” Thace said. Keith looked up hopefully.

“Really?” He asked softly. Thace nodded gently.

“Of course, kit. You and Regris both. You’re our kits, we wouldn’t just abandon you.” Thace said gently. Keith relaxed a bit, his tears slowing. Kolivan smiled and draped a blanket around his shoulders. 

“You deserve so much. You will never be alone, I promise. You can contact us or your friends, and we will pick up because we care about you.” Ulaz said, rubbing his back. When Keith was completely relaxed, he moved over to Regris. Thace moved over as well.

“I know it hurts to lose your family and friends, and that pain may never go away given how sudden it was and how important they were to you, but the best thing you can do is remember them in a good light. Celebrate your holidays in your own little way and honor your birthplace and culture even if it is lost.” Thace said, smiling gently at Regris. Ulaz looked surprised. Keith looked up and wiped at his eyes.

“Are there plants that are found on other planets that were found on your planet, Regris?” He asked. Regris sniffled and nodded, looking at Keith curiously. 

“Well, maybe you can get seeds of those plants and get your own space in the gardens. Plant the seeds and grow them. You’ll have a little piece of your home here for you to go to and see. Plus, its so satisfying to watch plants grow from seeds, knowing you planted them.” Keith said. Antok grinned at the idea.

“That is an excellent idea, Keith. Regris, how does that sound?” Antok asked, looking down at Regris. Regris smiled and nodded, wiping at his eyes.

“I… I would really like that.” He said, smiling at the idea. Kolivan nodded and scooted closer to Regris.

“When we next stop for supplies, we will pick up some seeds, alright?” He said. Regris nodded and laid next to Keith, the two curling together to sleep after all of their crying wore them out. Ulaz smiled and draped a blanket over them, humming a Galran lullaby as he groomed them.

“I suppose they could have a late dinner today.” He whispered, watching the serene sleeping faces of his kits.

The others couldn’t agree more when they saw their kits sleeping so soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr legendary-marmorans !


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